


Fate

by swedishaizen



Category: BURN THE WITCH (Manga), Bleach
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:54:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25393426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swedishaizen/pseuds/swedishaizen
Summary: AU. Ichigo Kurosaki meets a girl named Noel Niihashi (Burn The Witch) over the internet and falls in love. What will happen when the two try to meet?
Relationships: Kurosaki Ichigo/Niihashi Noel
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	Fate

Ichigo Kurosaki, a eighteen year old boy, found it hard to express himself and show his true personality to people, so he found an escape on an online group chat app. Ichigo had been talking to people and developed friendships with the people he met on this app. Although he had never met these people in real life, he felt that he could be himself around them.

It helped with the fact that none of the people revealed their true names. It was an app where the users created usernames to hide their identity, so that everyone had a sense of personal security. It also gave Ichigo even more courage to be himself and be more social than he would in person with his classmates.

Ichigo’s attention was caught on this girl who was the same age as him, but lived far away from Karakura Town. She lived in London and was infatuated with Japanese culture, and she even had the Dragon Ball theme song as her ringtone, which was one of Ichigo’s favorite animes.

The two began private messaging each other outside of the group chat, and after a couple weeks or so, they started to develop romantic feelings for each other. There was only one problem.

The girl who he had been messaging, her name was Noel Niihashi. She lived in London, England and one of the most important things to her was her sense of security. As much as she loved talking with Ichigo, she never wanted to reveal to him how she looked or what her real name was. She couldn’t explain why, just that it was hard for her and she found him so special and did not want to ruin anything.

The two went on to talk everyday for about five months, sharing thousands of messages, thousands of stories. Ichigo had learned about everything she loved and everything she loved about him, and Noel found out the same about Ichigo. The two further developed their deep romantic feelings for each other and referred to one another as their best friend. Still after all this time, Ichigo never learned her name or what she looked like. 

Over the time he got to know Noel, he became fascinated by the English culture, specifically Shakespeare, and wanted to travel abroad. He planned to go to school in England and become an English teacher, and he thought that Noel would be ecstatic to hear that he was going to go to London. 

Noel was not ecstatic but shocked to hear that he was coming to London. As much as she loved Ichigo and as much as she really wanted to reveal the things she had kept secret from Ichigo, she could not bring herself to do it. Her friends would never allow her to, nor would her parents allow her to ever meet some boy she met on the internet, no matter how right he was for her.

This broke Ichigo’s heart, but he had his heart set on moving to London, and he moved there and began to study at the university. Ichigo asked Noel if she would like to meet up, but she was still keeping her real name and what she looked like a secret. Ichigo was upset when he heard this, however he knew how much her sense of security meant to her and did not wanna push his boundaries.

Ichigo told her that he was going to the local university and he left it up to her whenever she decided she was ready and wanted to meet up. A few months went by with Ichigo being in London and she had not changed her mind about meeting Ichigo.

Ichigo knew that he did not only come to London because she was here, however she was a big reason and motivation to move there. Ichigo was frustrated at the fact that no matter how bad he wanted to meet her, it’s ultimately in her hands and there’s nothing he could do about it.

Ichigo made several attempts to see if she was warming up to the idea that they would get to meet. Noel said she was not making any progress on revealing her information to Ichigo and she felt as if she was letting him down. 

He was such a great guy, the ideal boyfriend in her eyes, and she did not want to lose him as a friend, but she still felt as if she could never bring herself to actually meeting him in person.

Noel told Ichigo maybe it would be better if he tried to get over her. She explained that it has nothing to do with him, he’s amazing and the ideal boyfriend in her eyes, but she doesn’t see herself ever being able to meet up with Ichigo and letting him know her name. This was all too real for her. Something that was just her being interested in someone who happened to be from her favorite culture, turned into her falling in love and on top of that now she has the opportunity to meet each other in person.

Ichigo told her he understood but then immediately took it back. He said he loved her and if they have the chance why not take it? Ichigo told her that she was too afraid to take a risk because it might not pay off, but it would pay off, because they could be together. Her response to this was wishing that the two had met differently, that they had met in person and got to know each other that way, which made Ichigo frustrated again because they had that opportunity.

Ichigo and Noel continued talking everyday, but eventually over time, started to talk less and less throughout the day.

They had talked to each other for about a year now and up til this point, Ichigo had not brought up meeting up after that day. He felt as if maybe they should just stay best friends and move on and try to find someone else. Was there someone else like her?

One day after university, Ichigo had begun to feel homesick, so he traveled to a nearby Japanese market on the way back to his flat. He felt as if they had taken a little piece of Karakura and put it in this small market. They had all his favorites. Ichigo decided to take his time and browse because he had not done his shopping for the week and this was his first time at the market.

He stocked up on all sorts of foods and drinks, the ones he missed from back home. During his browsing, he went to the end of the store where they had items from Japanese pop culture, which included manga. They had only the real popular ones, but one caught his mind in particular which was a Dragon Ball manga. As he went to reach for it, he saw a hand reach for it as well. It was a girl, she was beautiful, tall, blue eyed, and had black hair. Ichigo was taken back by how beautiful she was.

“Oh sorry, i can grab the one behind it, it’s no big deal, I just really love Dragon Ball and decided to buy this!” She said to Ichigo.

“Oh no I can take the one behind, you go ahead, I didn’t even see you reaching for it.” Ichigo was so nervous when talking to her. He found her to be so beautiful, and really didn’t want to look dumb or leave a bad impression with her.

“You’re so sweet,” she said. “It looks like you have good taste as well,” she said while looking at his basket of items he had.

“Yeah, this is my year here in London, I’m from Japan originally. I’m here for school and I felt a little homesick so I stopped at this market before heading back to my flat.”

“Oh wow! You’re from Japan? So cool! I’ve always wanted to go there but it’s really expensive to go there, but I’m so in love with the culture. I love the food, the way of living, the pop culture, I love everything. I even have a Dragon Ball ringtone.”

He couldn’t help but feel as if she reminded him of someone, but for some reason he could not figure out who it was. He really enjoyed talking to this girl at the market, and had the urge to get to know her better.

“You seem really new to London still, how about tomorrow we meet here and I can show you around?”

“I would love that, thank you. I haven’t made much friends here since I’m not really from here, so it has been a struggle to explore London a bit, but the university has been a blast to attend.”

The two went separate ways and would meet up again tomorrow. Ichigo had beat himself up over one thing. What was her name? Why did I not ask for her name? He had to ask her for her name tomorrow.

Ichigo arrived at his flat and went online to talk to Noel as he normally would everyday. He told her he had a great day and met a friend on his way back to his flat. She was happy for him and also said that she had made plans tomorrow with a new friend. He was happy for her too. He was happy that he finally had met a friend, and for once maybe he was starting to move forward in the right direction by moving on and seeing how things went with this new girl he had met.

The next day, Ichigo thought about this mystery girl all day at university. He was really excited to meet up with her after and explore London a bit. Not only was she a cute girl, she was really easy to talk to, which was something Ichigo thought of as very rare and made her stand out from anyone he had met before.

Class was over and Ichigo had headed for the market. He started to think what if she wasn’t there? What if he never got to see her again? He started getting really nervous. 

As he approached the street with the market and saw the same girl from yesterday there, patiently waiting, reading the Dragon Ball manga that she had bought yesterday when they met. Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. He also smiled and thought that it was so cute how into the manga she was. 

As he approached, she put the manga down and started telling Ichigo to follow her. The two talked about everything. Ichigo talked about his life back home in Japan, and she talked about her life in London. The two had really gotten to know each other all in that short time, but it was a night that both of them would remember. They both had such a great time.

“Umm aren’t you forgetting something?” She asked Ichigo. 

“Am I? I’m not sure?” Said Ichigo scratching the back of his head trying to think what he could have possibly forgotten.

“You forgot to ask me for my number! It’s okay I wrote it down on this piece of paper for you. I had a great time with you today. Thanks for tonight, and let's make plans to meet up again?”

“I had a great time too, thanks for showing me around and yes we will make plans to meet up again very soon.”

Ichigo waited until the two separated until he opened the note. On the note it had a name and a phone number on the piece of paper. Noel.

The two people that had been talking online to each other had just met, and more importantly had no idea that they had met. Noel never had revealed her name to Ichigo and did not want to know Ichigo’s real name either, so they absolutely had no idea that they had met.

Ichigo had arrived home from his night out with Noel. He went to message her on the app and began to tell her about the night. He said that he met this girl and they had a great night, and he had begun to like this girl that he had met.

Noel also told Ichigo that she had met someone and started to like them as well. She said that she felt really comfortable around this guy, kinda like how she felt talking with him. 

The two had been talking for so long, without mentioning meeting up that they had never thought of the possibility of them running into each other randomly. It just seemed so ridiculous, even if they did live in the same town, they didn’t know each other’s names and more importantly had no idea what each other looked like. 

Noel had no idea that she did something she never thought she would do. She had no idea that the tall, orange haired, hard-headed eighteen year old she had met at the local Japanese market, was the same boy that she had been talking to for a year over the internet. 

The two began going out on dates every weekend. The more they talked, the more Noel and Ichigo had fallen for each other and the more they gushed to each other on the app about their new relationships, which they were both happy to hear that their best friend was happy. 

After about three months of dating, a year and three months of them talking on the app, Noel told Ichigo of her best friend that she met on this app, and told him how she hasn’t let him see her or know things like her real name and other personal things. She asked for his advice, if it was weird that she had a friend like that, and she also asked if she should tell her friend these things, because it’s been so long why not?. 

Ichigo thought of his online friendship he had. He really wished that he knew who his best friend was too.

“Do it if it makes you happy. That’s all that should matter about the decision. Is this going to lead to you being happy? If so then yes do it, and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks as long as you’re happy I will support it.”

Ichigo saying this to Noel finally gave her the confidence. After the two had parted ways for the night, Noel went on the app and was ready to tell her internet best friend her name and show him a photo. 

Ichigo was really excited to get this message from his best friend. He felt as if he would always wonder who she was and what she looked like. He just wanted to put a face to the screen. He wanted to see the girl he fell in love with.

She told him that her name was Noel and sent him a photo and when he opened the message there he saw his girlfriend. Him seeing this he could not believe it. He ended up calling Noel and had to tell her that he was the one she had been talking to this whole time. He was worried that maybe this was gonna change things, but this was something he had to do. 

Noel answered the phone and told Ichigo, “I just told my best friend my name and showed him a picture and I’m now waiting for a response. I was nervous at first but I was comforted by what you told me. Thank you and I love you so much.”

Ichigo was shocked. She never told him she loved him up until this moment, well she did when they talked over the app, but he never got to hear the words until now. He was nervous, he was afraid that he was about to lose everything important to him in his life at that moment.

“Listen Noel, it’s about your best friend. Well, you’re not gonna believe this, but it’s me. I got your photo just now, look I’m sorry I had no idea that this whole time I was talking with you, I-”

“You’re the one I’ve been talking to this whole time? So we knew each other even before we met?”

Noel began to think to herself that this situation was so weird. She had never envisioned that this would be the outcome of all this. Noel never knew that she would actually have met the person she had been talking to all this time online in person, let alone date him.

The phone was silent as Noel began to think of how weird the situation was. How could she have met the same person twice, and fallen in love with the same person twice, without realizing that it was the same person?

“Look Noel, I don’t want to lose you because of this. I know that this is something that you are completely uncomfortable with but I had no idea that the whole time this was you. You have to believe me, I would never-”

“I do believe you Ichigo. I just don’t know what to think. Maybe we should not talk to each other for a few days so I can clear my thoughts and figure this out? I promise I only need space for a couple days max, I just want to make sure I’m making the right decision.”

“Noel, I will give you what you need. I love you, don’t forget that and have for the past year.”

The two hung up the phone and Noel began to think this over. How was she going to get over the fact that she met the one person she hid everything from and began dating him without realizing? The whole thing was confusing yet also comical to her in a way, and she had to talk to her best friend from university and tell her what was going on.

Noel’s best friend was Ninny Spangcole. Ninny always called Noel “Niiha” but Noel preferred her real name because it was also a Japanese girl’s name as well as an English girl’s name. Noel began to tell Ninny the whole ordeal and she was so nervous in doing so because Ninny is known to not really have a filter, and Noel was scared that she would not approve of Noel talking to strangers over the internet.

“Niiha! Why didn’t you tell me after all this time? Sounds like no big deal if you ask me!” 

Noel was taken back by hearing this. How is this not a big deal? Maybe because of what my family and other friends think, I’m making it a big deal. 

“What should I do Ninny?”

“Niiha are you stupid? This is very clearly fate’s way of giving you a second chance. You were dumb not to meet him the first time, and now it’s given you a second chance and you’re throwing that away because of what people may think. Just tell them all you met him the way you thought you did! At that Japanese market you love going to.”

Noel knew that deep down Ninny was right. This was fate talking to her. She always believed in fate, but for some reason did not believe that fate could have handed something like this to her so obviously. 

Noel also knew that her heart had chosen Ichigo long ago, so this was a big waste of time. The one Noel wanted to be with was Ichigo. She hoped that it wasn’t too late though for her to take back what she said.

Noel began to leave messages for Ichigo, asking how he was. He had not responded back to her messages and she got worried that he would not respond, and the waiting killed her. She got sick of waiting, so she decided to say forget waiting and gave him a call and let him know her feelings over the phone.

“Noel?” Ichigo answered.

“Ichigo! Yes hi!” she was so excited to talk to him and he could tell, but before she could tell Ichigo what she wanted Ichigo responded first.

“Noel I’m at university right now. Can we meet up at our special spot after I get out?”

Noel had completely forgotten that Ichigo had university. She felt so embarrassed, and she agreed that the two would meet at their special spot, the Japanese market where they had first met.

Noel waited there and was excited to see Ichigo walking towards her. She could not help herself when she saw him, she immediately ran up to him and gave him a huge hug. 

“Noel there’s something I have to talk to you about. Can we sit down for a second?”

Noel got really nervous. Could she have waited too long? Could she have pushed away Ichigo while needing space.  
“Ichigo I need to say that I love you and I’m sorry for ever doubting you, it’s just this is very ha-”

“Noel I love you too and will never stop loving you. Never worry about that. This is different. My dad is going through some rough times at our family clinic and needs me to return home for a few months. I just needed to let you know that I’m leaving and might not be able to come back for a while. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry Noel.”

After saying this Ichigo began to tear up. He was about to lose the girl who he had been in love with for the past year all because he had to return home. He was so scared of how she would react. The distance would be there again and they would be just talking over the internet again, something he knew that distanced them in the first place. 

The only way Noel reacted was smiled. “What makes you think you will be going back alone, now it’s your turn to show me around Japan.”

Ichigo started crying tears of joy when he heard her say that. Never would he think that the events would turn out like this. He really thought that he was going to lose Noel, he really thought he was going to lose the girl who’s been special to him over the last year of his life. 

Ichigo had just met a girl he liked talking to on the internet and wanted to meet her while he attended class in London, this was the plan anyways. He had no idea that he would ever get to meet this girl, and more importantly he never knew that the love of his life would be returning to Karakura Town with him, ready to meet his friends and family, and tour Japan with him. 

Fate has a weird way of working sometimes. If it’s meant to be, it will be, in fact it might be right in front of you the whole time until you’re able to realize what it is. That was the case for Ichigo Kurosaki and Noel Niihashi.


End file.
